Express News Service
BENGALURU: The Pakistan military may have become “less popular but not weak,” said Ayesha Siddiqa, author and senior research fellow, at King’s College, London on the “perception” in India that there’s something about to change in Pakistan, especially where the military is concerned. “This is not true,” she added.
In her talk on ‘Pakistan’s Military: Internal and External Affairs’ in the city organised by the Takshashila Institution, Siddiqa delved deep into the past and current state of affairs in her country with a focus on its politics, economic condition and relations with China, the United States and India and the role of the Pakistan army in each of these.
“There is a lot of unhappiness with the military-dominated establishment but the elite work hand in hand with the establishment. A part of the society realises that if they can’t beat them (the army) they must join them. In 1971, we had lost the war to India but I remember the fanfare that was around the army. That popularity has definitely diminished today but that doesn’t mean that people don’t want to join the armed forces,” she said.
Regarding the hold of the Pakistan army on the country’s politics, the ouster of the former prime minister Imran Khan was a “major event,” she added.
Siddiqa said that Khan had brought a narrative of new promise when he came to power in August 2018 and the young generation had pinned a lot of hope of a new Pakistan on him. “He was failing. The economy was already on the back foot with sky fuel prices but he was smart and knew what would sell and make people excited. This is why he delayed the signing of the agreement with the IMF (Indian Monetary Fund).
Prior to his ouster in April 2022, Khan started getting unpopular and he knew that the military was out to get him. He sold the idea that the US wanted him out because he was not keen on bilateral relations with them. The truth is that the US may not have had any role in removing Khan because the military was eager to remove him. After his ouster there were shock waves in Pakistan people realised that the military will not allow things to change in the country and that it has done more harm to Pakistan than good,” said Siddiqa.
The author underscored the role of the military in the return of the former prime minister and leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Nawaz Sharif to the country despite serious corruption charges, on the eve of the forthcoming general elections on February 8, 2024.
“They (Pakistan army) removed one leader (Khan) and got Nawaz Sharif back. But to win elections, one has to win Punjab, which is the heart of Pakistan,” she added. Besides PTI, PMLN has a base in Punjab.
On the Pak-US relationship, Siddiqa said that her relationship with the Pakistan has gone through critical stuff, which undermines the military because it has stopped international rents.
“The US-Pak bilateral relationship has gone through cyclical changes since the 1950s. Even now, neither the Pak military nor the US is interested in giving up their relationship. The US will not completely give up on Pakistan and let it fall in the lap of China. The former chief of army staff, Qamar Bajwa went to the US in July 2019 with Khan with a plea to give the Pakistan military their hardware to help them survive,” said the research scholar.
She added that China remains Pakistan’s lifeline without the latter investing in that relationship as much. “We are interested in who is keen to bail us out. China wants to play a long-term gain. Over 80 per cent of the equipment with the three services of the Pakistan armed forces are Chinese,” said Siddiqa.
She added that Pakistan is also strategically relevant to the Middle East, especially, to the Saudi royalty. She also said that the army is carefully building its relationship with Iran.
On the economic front, Siddiqa rued the fact that private and political classes in Pakistan are used to the economy being run without any reforms with the result that the debt burden has increased over the years. “We are used to money coming in from outside and it is still an expectation,” she added.
On who would become the next prime minister, she said the military had brought back Nawaz Sharif to push Khan. “The political system in Pakistan is patronage-driven,” Siddiqa added.
On the Pakistan-India relationship, she said, “Pakistan military is interested in keeping the trade relationship with India but it wants to be kept in the loop, which means that any new PM will have to be careful in how it handles bilateral dialogue with India. When the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lahore in December 2015 to meet the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the army felt that the two leaders were building a relationship, keeping them out,” added Siddiqa.
She ended her talk by saying that the “perception in India that Pakistan is down and out and can be forced to accept any option is not right. Peace has to be made to look like it’s not a total loss for Pakistan,” she concluded. Follow channel on WhatsApp
BENGALURU: The Pakistan military may have become “less popular but not weak,” said Ayesha Siddiqa, author and senior research fellow, at King’s College, London on the “perception” in India that there’s something about to change in Pakistan, especially where the military is concerned. “This is not true,” she added.
In her talk on ‘Pakistan’s Military: Internal and External Affairs’ in the city organised by the Takshashila Institution, Siddiqa delved deep into the past and current state of affairs in her country with a focus on its politics, economic condition and relations with China, the United States and India and the role of the Pakistan army in each of these.
“There is a lot of unhappiness with the military-dominated establishment but the elite work hand in hand with the establishment. A part of the society realises that if they can’t beat them (the army) they must join them. In 1971, we had lost the war to India but I remember the fanfare that was around the army. That popularity has definitely diminished today but that doesn’t mean that people don’t want to join the armed forces,” she said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Regarding the hold of the Pakistan army on the country’s politics, the ouster of the former prime minister Imran Khan was a “major event,” she added.
Siddiqa said that Khan had brought a narrative of new promise when he came to power in August 2018 and the young generation had pinned a lot of hope of a new Pakistan on him. “He was failing. The economy was already on the back foot with sky fuel prices but he was smart and knew what would sell and make people excited. This is why he delayed the signing of the agreement with the IMF (Indian Monetary Fund).
Prior to his ouster in April 2022, Khan started getting unpopular and he knew that the military was out to get him. He sold the idea that the US wanted him out because he was not keen on bilateral relations with them. The truth is that the US may not have had any role in removing Khan because the military was eager to remove him. After his ouster there were shock waves in Pakistan people realised that the military will not allow things to change in the country and that it has done more harm to Pakistan than good,” said Siddiqa.
The author underscored the role of the military in the return of the former prime minister and leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Nawaz Sharif to the country despite serious corruption charges, on the eve of the forthcoming general elections on February 8, 2024.
“They (Pakistan army) removed one leader (Khan) and got Nawaz Sharif back. But to win elections, one has to win Punjab, which is the heart of Pakistan,” she added. Besides PTI, PMLN has a base in Punjab.
On the Pak-US relationship, Siddiqa said that her relationship with the Pakistan has gone through critical stuff, which undermines the military because it has stopped international rents.
“The US-Pak bilateral relationship has gone through cyclical changes since the 1950s. Even now, neither the Pak military nor the US is interested in giving up their relationship. The US will not completely give up on Pakistan and let it fall in the lap of China. The former chief of army staff, Qamar Bajwa went to the US in July 2019 with Khan with a plea to give the Pakistan military their hardware to help them survive,” said the research scholar.
She added that China remains Pakistan’s lifeline without the latter investing in that relationship as much. “We are interested in who is keen to bail us out. China wants to play a long-term gain. Over 80 per cent of the equipment with the three services of the Pakistan armed forces are Chinese,” said Siddiqa.
She added that Pakistan is also strategically relevant to the Middle East, especially, to the Saudi royalty. She also said that the army is carefully building its relationship with Iran.
On the economic front, Siddiqa rued the fact that private and political classes in Pakistan are used to the economy being run without any reforms with the result that the debt burden has increased over the years. “We are used to money coming in from outside and it is still an expectation,” she added.
On who would become the next prime minister, she said the military had brought back Nawaz Sharif to push Khan. “The political system in Pakistan is patronage-driven,” Siddiqa added.
On the Pakistan-India relationship, she said, “Pakistan military is interested in keeping the trade relationship with India but it wants to be kept in the loop, which means that any new PM will have to be careful in how it handles bilateral dialogue with India. When the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lahore in December 2015 to meet the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the army felt that the two leaders were building a relationship, keeping them out,” added Siddiqa.
She ended her talk by saying that the “perception in India that Pakistan is down and out and can be forced to accept any option is not right. Peace has to be made to look like it’s not a total loss for Pakistan,” she concluded. Follow channel on WhatsApp
